Anything But Ordinary
by AnimeCookie93
Summary: FreakShow!AU / InuKag - ...he was anything but ordinary, but since meeting him, she'd learned that she was far from it herself. Rated M for Inuyasha's potty mouth.
1. One

**.One.**

"So, what do you say, Kagome? Do you wanna go?"

"Mm, wha-?"

A look of hope quickly morphed to aggravation as a girlish face pouted, pointing her finger at the accused as if she were holding an interrogation and the suspect just _happened_ to be putting up a struggle. "Do you want to go to the Freak Show thing? It's this Saturday, at three, and we can go to my house for dinner! C'mon, what do you think?"

Brown eyes looked from the girl to the paper that had been thrust upon her person not ten minutes prior; Onigumo's Freak Show, in obnoxiously bubbly text, stared back at her, with the laughing persona of a cloaked man wearing a top hat. Was this _really_ what she'd been fated to do in her last month of summer? Be dragged to a function where someone pulls the weirdest people they can find and puts them on display for _others_ to mock? When had people become so cruel? Heaving a sigh, she searched the page for the answers.

"Well, I dunno…" the girl was a little anxious; she wasn't necessarily the kind of person to enjoy picking someone out of a crowd and being mean to them. It just wasn't her way. Kagome was an opinionated person, but was in _no_ way cruel. "…You know I don't exactly like these kinds of things."

Her friend – Yuka, her neighbor and childhood friend – rolled her eyes. "I know, I know, but give it a _shot_! We'll just pop in, see what kinds of people we can find, maybe bump into a certain brown-haired _hunk_-"

Kagome's breath hitched; Hojo was the cutest guy in school, a total hunk, and was captain of the soccer team. He was tall, lean, but still had a boyish charm that made the girls in her class swoon. He'd been pining after her since they were in grade school, and truth be told, she'd never been interested. The mere thought of the brunet made her flush, but more at the memories that swam forth than at the mention of his name. Since she'd known him, and he'd made no effort to hide his obvious affections for her, he had brought her everything from flowers to jewelry, trying to get her to go out with him.

All he'd ever gotten was a single date, and it was awkward.

_But still,_ the girl closed her eyes in thought, absently wringing the paper in her hands. _It wouldn't hurt to go, it gives you an excuse to call out of work and sleep in._

…so it was decided then.

"I'll give Miroku a call, see if I can wheedle my way around working that day and opt for a double shift on Sunday."

Yuka wasn't as concerned with that statement as she should have been. "Great! I'll come by around 2, and we'll walk together!"

Donning a bright, but very forced, smile, Kagome waved as her friend retreated down the road. Once she was out of sight, she sighed and deflated. It wasn't exactly her ideal Saturday, especially if she could get the day off – she'd much rather spend the day around town, maybe do some errands for her mother, keep herself busy and do everything _but_ partake in such a horrible event.

_Yuka's such a weirdo_, she thought with a small chuckle. _She's always been into the unusual. She probably thinks we'll see a bearded lady or something. …wait, isn't that the circus?_

Her feet had started moving on auto pilot, knowing exactly where she was supposed to be; it was 5 o'clock on Thursday, which meant she'd just gotten out of work. Yuka had met her by the door and, before she could escape, had thrust the poster into her face and threw her entire inner-schedule off course. _Mom's probably having a fit_, she thought, scratching the side of her face in thought. _No doubt Grandpa's only made it worse by listing off scenarios where I was kidnapped or something._

"_Sigh…_"

Digging out her cell phone, she flipped it open – Kagome was pretty sure she was the only one who still carried around a flip-phone – and proceeded to routinely check her text messages and missed calls, breathing a sigh of relief when she realized the only text she'd gotten was from Yuka, telling her '_You better wait for me when you finish your shift, Higs!_'

Higs. It was a terrible nickname, yet, she never seemed to get tired of it.

Stuffing the device back into her jean pocket, she adjusted her messenger bag on her shoulders, giving it an affectionate tap – it was a gift from her grandfather, one of the only ones she actually used or kept, and was a nice brown leather with her initials embossed in green thread – before looking up at the sky; bright blue had made way for reds and oranges, making her feel as if she were walking through flames, but the summer air was chilled and refreshing after a hot day. Her black hair licked at her cheeks, rosy already from the change in temperature, and she pulled a few strands behind her ear.

Yes, it was going to be a _nice_ walk home.

**-x-**

Just as she had predicted, Kagome had been swarmed by the usual 'Where have you been' in three different tones of voice. She'd barely managed to kick her shoes off – worn from overuse – and drop her bag down next to them. As she had no reason to get defensive, she let her mother and grandfather nag – "Why didn't you call?" "You could have been kidnapped!" "Father, please…" – until they were tuckered out by their own antics. Flashing her deepest scowl, the brown-eyed girl shot the two a look that had absolutely no effect what so ever.

"I'm sorry, Mom; Yuka met me after work and before I knew it, we'd talked for an hour. And I guess I got too distracted to call afterwards. I'll remember next time for sure, though."

And yet, the look in their eyes remained unconvinced. Her grandfather shuffled back over to his recliner, finishing off the rest of his nightly tea, mumbling about spacy granddaughters. Kagome only shook her head before heading into the kitchen to search for leftovers.

"Oh, Kagome," her mother came up behind her, worrying her apron in her fingers, leaving wrinkles in the embarrassing striped garment that had 'Kiss the Chef!' stitched in black lettering on the chest. The girl in question opened the fridge door and seemed to mechanically close it before taking a look inside. "There didn't end up being any leftovers – but I went out and picked up some noodles from the supermarket if you'd like to heat them up. I'm sorry, dear."

For some reason, even after a long day at her part-time job and being swarmed by her incredibly-chirpy neighbor-slash-childhood-friend, the girl couldn't find it in herself to be annoyed. "Oh, that's fine! I didn't have that large an appetite anyway." As she turned to rummage through a cabinet and plucked out the cup of instant noodles, she suddenly turned around and fixed her mother with a hopeful look, though she wasn't sure what she was hoping for exactly. "Oh, and mom, can I hang out with Yuka on Saturday? If I get all of my chores done, I mean?" _As if I wouldn't- I'll wake up bright and early if I have to! _

Mention of the girl's name made her mother smile. "Of course! You know when it comes to Yuka, you don't have to ask permission. I trust the two of you, you know that."

_Probably not the wisest of choices, mom…_ For the greater good, Kagome kept that thought trapped in the secret parts of her mind. "I'll text her and let her know- thanks mom! Can I sleep over that night, too? I'll head right from there to work and come straight back, no excuses!"

"Absolutely, dear."

As her mother walked out and left her to her own devices, heavy eyelids closed as she collected her thoughts, breathing a loud sigh before preparing her dinner as if she'd been doing it for years. _Well, I guess that's settled then. No going back now._

* * *

><p><em>Howdy-ho, junior rangers! How ya doin'? <em>

_This is an Alternate Universe. Thus, I'm changin' a few things. As we go along, you'll see that I haven't made any significant changes to anyone's personalities, but just modernized them a bit. __I will say, however, that not all of the characters will make an appearance - namely, Sesshomaru and his group (including Rin, sorry SessRin/Sesshomaru/Rin lovers), Kikyo, Shippo, and probably a couple of others that I can't recall. (Though, I might mention names, I won't really give them screen time. Whoops?_ :p)_ The rest will eventually make an appearance. Not to say you'll like my version of them for this particular story. But just remember guys, it's FICTION and an AU. _

_About a day or two before I update, I'll post a sneak peek on my Tumblr (see profile for link). So look for those!_

**_ONE FINAL THING,_**_ and I'm sorry this is so long, but this story is mainly centered around Inuyasha and Kagome. I intend to make side pairings eventually, but as the main pairing is InuKag, I'll only give little moments here and there. You'll just have to use your imaginations - or, I'll have the two dorks talking to one or both of the characters. (Also, for my own fangirlish amusement, I'm going at my own pace. Sometimes the chapters take place day to day, and others they're weeks apart. I'm random like that and honestly am just writing for fun.)_

_If you have questions, comments, suggestions or complaints, please let me know. As long as you are kind and polite, I'll do my best to do the same._

_Please enjoy._

-Cookie-


	2. Two

.**Two.**

Business at the diner had been slow, and that was why she was completely getting away with sticking her nose in her favorite book only two hours away from check-out time.

"I don't know how you can stand those kinds of books."

Kagome looked up, blearily, as if she'd fallen asleep coddled in the words of her book of choice. This month, it was _To Kill a Mockingbird_. "What do you mean, Sango? This happens to be a literary classic! I've read it at least a dozen times – it's hands down my _favorite_ book, of all time!" With much enthusiasm, the girl flailed her arm currently not holding the book in question, eyes wide, mouth blabbing helplessly about the contents inside.

The girl a year older than her breathed a long-suffering sigh. "_Yawn_! Kagome, I swear, you're the only person I've ever seen who loves reading as much as she loves breathing." A deflated look appeared on the girl's face, lower lip pouting and trembling to emphasize her dislike of her friends lack-of enthusiasm about reading. Pulling out the local newspapers – it was filled with jargon, gossip, and that's why Sango liked reading it so much – she flipped through one of the pages before wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Ugh; that _Freak Show_ baloney; can you believe this, Kagome? What a sick bastard this Onigumo person must be to find enjoyment out of something like this!"

"A lot of people do." Putting her bookmark in place, she closed her book and stuffed it into her large pocket on her apron. "My friend Yuka – you've met her before, dark hair cut short, a little taller than me – she likes stuff like that, the unusual and… well, 'freaky'. She's dragging me there tomorrow."

"You could have told her no, you know," Sango's voice leveled into something softer, unsure. "If things like that aren't your cup of tea, why did you even agree to go in the first place? I saw how uncomfortable you were while you and she were talking outside."

Kagome laughed as if the prospect were obvious. "It's no big deal, really. It's almost time for school and I don't want to turn down any more hangouts with her." Standing up in a fluid motion, she straightened out her apron. "Hey, do you think that since it's not that busy, and it _is_ only two hours from closing time…"

Sango joined her in standing, but crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't think that's a good idea; Mr. Mushin's not happy enough with us as it is after the 'Root Beer Float' incident. We really shouldn't be making any sort of rash decisions like that."

Ah, the Root Beer Float incident. It wasn't exactly one of Kagome's finest moments working at Mushin's Diner. To make a long story short, the little hose they used to serve fountain drinks malfunctioned and she ended up spraying herself, Mr. Mushin, and the entire bar of customers with the root beer while, completely unknowingly, Sango came out of the kitchen with a couple of vanilla cones and ended up slipping on the soda on the floor, making a mess and a root beer float on Mr. Mushin's head.

(Good thing he was so laid back – she'd have lost her job if it were anyone else.)

The sound of the bell over the front door chimed into her ears, nearly making her tense up, before she turned around and flashed her prettiest smile. "Welcome to Mushin's—oh, it's just you, Miroku."

A tall man wearing a deep purple button-down shirt waltzed in, combing his fingers through his hair that was precariously pulled back into a small ponytail. "Ah, Kagome!" He rushed forward and trapped the girl in a hug, ignoring her pleas of 'Let go of me!' as he crushed her extra close to his chest before setting her down and moving to do the same to Sango. "Oh, Sango!"

He didn't get quite as far though, as she closed the distance between them… and…

…smacked him on the top of his head with her platter.

"You damned pervert," she muttered under her breath before parting to join the cook in the kitchen, ignoring his whines as he rubbed at the top of his head, doubled over on his hands and knees.

Kagome ran over and helped him back onto his feet. "Sorry, you know how she is- what are you doing here? And, isn't your uncle with you?"

"Uncle Mushin went to a business conference this afternoon and asked me to fill in for him until he gets back," a woebegone look appeared in his eyes, but the girls merely rolled their own before the man glanced at them. "This place looks pretty deserted – why don't you lovely ladies finish cleaning up and we'll close up shop early?" A rather sly grin appeared on his face as he looked upon the girls, and before he could stop himself, he added, "I'm sure we've all got 'things' we'd all rather be doing, anyhow."

He narrowly escaped a plastic cup to the forehead as he bound back out the door.

_Jeez… it's so obvious they like each other, _twin fingers rose to her temple and rubbed it in an attempt to stave off the headache. _Miroku, if only you'd just stop __flirting__ with other girls…! _

Miroku, adopted son to hers and Sango's boss, was to put it plainly, a womanizer. He's been all around the town, picking up ladies on his motorcycle, taking them to dinner and _entertaining_ them. Seriously, he was _such_ a pervert… but he was also kind, charming in his own way, incredibly funny and trustworthy. Flirting aside, he was a really cool person to have in a pickle.

A few minutes later, Sango turned the corner, wearing a light pink blouse and a pair of jeans ripped at the thigh. Her dark brown hair, usually up in a high ponytail or bun while working, was down and flowing down her back. She'd never noticed before, but Kagome thought that Sango was actually very beautiful, despite the slightly-coarse attitude when it came to Miroku.

Untying her apron, the ebony-haired girl fixed her green sundress, bending down a little to straighten out her leggings she wore underneath, before tapping the toe of her working sneakers on the tiled floor. "Okay… he was acting weird."

"He seemed like the usual pervert to me," the other girl retorted coolly, with just a hint of poison in her voice.

Kagome shook her head. "Maybe, but… oh, never mind, you're right."

The girls exited the place after closing it up, walking together at a leisurely pace before Sango gave her friend a lopsided smile. "Do you want a ride home? I know you live a while away from here. I don't mind, really." They stopped beside Sango's car, which she parked in the back parking lot of the diner, and the girl looked almost hopeful.

Sighing gratefully, Kagome gave her friend a starry-eyed look. "Thanks so much, Sango. I owe you one. Maybe I'll get Miroku to quit flirting with other women so he'll have time to ask you out."

The embarrassed blush on Sango's face could have toasted a marshmallow, and Kagome's laughter echoed down the street as the car sped off.

* * *

><p><em>Yet another introduction-like chapter. What, I had to bring our other two dorks into the story. <em>

_Remember what I said in the first chapter: The primary focus is Inuyasha and Kagome and their friendship/relationship/etc, but Sango and Miroku are going to be a pretty big part of the story too. They'll be included, but I won't dedicate a few chapters or somethin' to just them. They'll get their times to shine, yes, but it'll eventually revert back to our two knuckleheads._

_Next chapter in about a week. _

~Cookie~

**PS **- _I had originally wanted to post this story as a whole for Inuvember._ (If you want more information on Inuvember, search the 'Inuyasha' tag -or Inuvember, I think it has a tag- on Tumblr. I can also link the announcement post in my profile if you guys would like. I can't wait for it!) _But alas, I decided to post it NOW instead just because I missed posting, period. FACE IT YOU GUYS MISSED ME TOO._


	3. Three

**.Three.**

Kagome tugged on her sweater, giving herself a good and long look in the full-length mirror; her mother had given her this white sweater last Christmas, and since there was a cold front blowing in, she wanted to make sure that she was even over-prepared. She fixed the collar of her lacy green blouse, pulling it down over the waistband of her jeggings, satisfied that she looked the part of 'friend who was dragged here against her will'.

Mussing up her black hair and striking a confident pose for her mirror, she giggled, covering her lips with her fingers. "I look like a fashion mannequin. But, oh well, it's already—_gasp_ it's so late!"

Spinning on her heel, she pulled her messenger bag from her bed post and dashed out her bedroom door. "Mom, I'll be back tomorrow after work! Love you!"

"Have a good time, dear!"

**-x-**

She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but she _definitely_ knew she wasn't in the _normal_ part of town.

The 'Freak Show' event was held at the large park in the middle of town, where most of the smaller festivals were held, with red and black colored tents dotting around the outsides. Where the main stage was in the middle, a bunch of people had crowded around, obviously enthused, encouraging in their loud wails of excitement as someone shouted into a microphone.

Noises, sights and smells all melded together in a wave of incomprehensible static, leaving Kagome to practically cling to Yuka's arm. The girl – dressed in a zip-up hoodie and a denim mini-skirt – seemed to be enjoying herself, looking at the many-tattooed woman walking around with the many-piercing man showing off what appeared to them to be trophies. _Is this what this sort of thing is like? A bunch of… 'freaks' meet up and do a bunch of… 'freaky' type things? Yuka, I don't think we're in Tokyo anymore…_

"Wow, Kagome, look at _that_!" Yuka's chirpy voice gave the girl a good mental shake and she looked to where her friend was pointing; a big cage was rolling down the road ahead of them toward the stage in the middle. Could something _dangerous_ be inside it? Kagome reflexively slowed her pace, but Yuka had no part in it. "Let's go see! I think I hear growling… maybe it's like a two-headed tiger or something!"

_From what I've seen so far? I wouldn't doubt it._

And so, the ebony-haired girl let the dark-brunette pull her down the sidewalk, following the twists and turns of the people wheeling the cage, each time the growling becoming more and more… person-like. Fear swallowed her entire being, but fascination wasn't too far behind it, and she found the confidence to match her friend's enthusiastic pace before they found themselves sitting in the third row facing the stage.

The stage looked like your average concert stage: three sets of collapsible risers sat in the middle and on each side, surrounding a microphone set in the middle. Brick pillars encircled the outside of the stage holding up a large granite mural of a man and woman dancing in what looked to be a windy meadow. It was beautiful, and probably very expensive, and Kagome couldn't help but think that whatever was in the cage _might_ break it. _Oh, no… maybe I should have written my will before coming here! _

The thought didn't scare her as much as it seemed to fascinate her more.

Three workers – two women of different size and shape, and a large burly man – skittered onto the stage to pull aside the risers, and for a split second, brown eyes widened at the sight of chains shackled to the floor. _Have those… always been there? _And not a moment later, a slightly-tanned blob covered in a red cloth was rushed to the stage and cuffed into the shackles. From within the red, two arms rounded with muscle tensed, seemed to mull over what was going on, and then tugged as hard as they could.

The chains whined in protest, but otherwise didn't budge.

A surge of concern swept through Kagome, but before she could convey as much to her friend sitting beside her, a man dressed in a baboon felt coat walked onto the stage, long black hair blowing back in the breeze, an almost acidic smile stuck on his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" His voice was low, gravelly, and it made the black-haired, brown-eyed girl _very_ uncomfortable. "I am Onigumo, and _welcome_ to my Freak Show." One arm outstretched, showing the world the people he seemed to be treating like interesting artifacts, his smile widening, happy to be there and show the good people his toys. His arm snapped back to his side, fingering his pelt coat, before walking around and giving Kagome a better view of the chained enigma on stage.

The longer she stared, the longer she realized that the blob was actually a tanned torso with taut muscle, looking to have been roughed up before he was brought on stage. Strands of silver slid over one broad shoulder, and she tilted her head, intrigued; she'd never seen silver hair on a person before, and wondered if it was part of this person's costume. If they were even called that. Were they called that? _Focus, Higurashi!_

The torso was naked, but a pair of loose pants donned narrow hips, turning his legs into shapeless blobs. In a fluid motion, the body of this mystery man crouched down, but for some reason she doubted he was giving in to whatever it was that was going to happen.

A deep roar of a chuckle shook her senses and she looked back at Yuka, who seemed dreamily lost looking at Onigumo, before she met her eyes as something glinted in his dark eyes.

"…and now, I bring your attention to my greatest discovery to date."

His bony hand tightened around the red cloth with purpose, making the same growl from before emanate and echo through the microphone, before he started to pull it off. "Now, my little doves, feast your eyes on the _great beast_!"

The red cloth was thrown to the side, and in an instant, the body shot upward and tugged at the chains. A boyish face contorted in barely-contained rage, teeth – _wait, wait, are those FANGS?_ – bearing at the audience as he struggled to free himself. Kagome's hands shot for her mouth.

_It's a… boy! A boy, traveling with this… but, why is he…?_

"Now," Onigumo looked thoughtful a moment, pointing a single thin finger back at the raging boy in the center of the stage, still tugging at the chains. "You might be wondering why this innocent boy is here, chained, like an _animal._" At the distressed word, the anger in the boy's features melted away to one of shock, and were Kagome just one row closer, she'd have seen the hurt flash in his eyes. "But in order to truly show you, I'll need a volunteer!"

Brown eyes widened, and she immediately locked onto the boy who seemed to want to sink into the shadows; all of this had completely caught him off guard, and she could see in the way his face changed from pure rage, to shock, and suddenly to a mild sense of fear. She suddenly wanted to raise her hand, but Yuka beat her to it. "Ah, you in the hoodie – yes, you darling – come on up here a second."

Yuka cheered, making Kagome wince – she'd closed her eyes at the sound, but had she kept them open, she'd have seen the boy do the same – before the girl ran up to the stage, denim skirt swishing with the movements of her thin legs. Once on stage, the chirpy girl clapped her hands together before coming to stand next to Onigumo, who started to walk her over to the boy.

_He looks so nervous… _

"Now, miss, what is your name?"

"Y-Yuka!"

"Miss Yuka, please step over to the young man … now, boy, you aren't to bite her, you hear?"

The boy didn't respond, only gulped, taking a reflexive step back with his hands out in front of him.

Kagome's senses were screaming.

"Now, boy, sit down for her," the boy did, begrudgingly, a minute later, "and Yuka, reach your hand out and rub around his hair until you feel something… _freaky_."

Yuka did as Onigumo said, delighted in the fact that she got to partake in rubbing along a total stranger's head in a setting such as this. However, her fingers touched something … and she gave a hard tug, before pulling her hand back as if she'd been deeply cut by something, and stood ramrod straight as her wide dark eyes looked at the boy. "Ears! He has ears on the top of his head!"

_Ears… on his head?_

"Yes, very good," Onigumo purred, helping Yuka to take a few steps back. The boy tensed up, the two triangular ears atop his head flattening like a dejected puppy's, before the man stood over him with a menacing smile. "This boy is half-human, half-dog demon. You thought there was no such thing as demons? There are, and some can be quite dangerous. Others have been tamed. Except… for this _half breed._"

A haunted look crossed the boy's face before he looked down, and suddenly, Kagome felt as though her heart were calling out to him, to comfort him. _Stop saying such awful things… you're hurting him!_

Onigumo hurried Yuka off the stage, and the girl was too shocked to notice, the feeling of the half-breed's dog ear still fresh in her palm. Once she was back in her seat, she looked to Kagome, who seemed worried at the same time as only mildly intrigued now. "Well? Not too bad for your first local freak show, is it?"

Kagome shook her head. "You know how I… feel about that." Brown eyes broke contact with the dark and excited eyes of Yuka to look right back at the boy, who was now standing straight with fists clenched, avoiding eye contact with anything but the ground. Suddenly, the growling started up again, and he roared as he leapt for Onigumo, pulling at his chains.

What happened next made Kagome cry out.

* * *

><p><em>...I may or may not like cliff-hangers. Sue me. (Actuallydon't.)<em>

_Also, I'm like, 75% sure I've said this already, but just to clarify: There is a sporadic time-line going on here. Sometimes it's day to day, sometimes a couple of weeks or even a month goes by. It's random and for the sake of my sanity, I'm going to keep it that way. If you get lost or confused, I am a **PM** or review away. I'd be happy to answer any questions you guys might have! _

**_ALSO_**_ - I might dabble in this universe some more. I really like this, and the friendships and relationships I've got set up, but probably won't put into the story (again, for my own sanity) so prepare for one-shots centered in this universe. I've planned SO FUCKING MANY but don't want to make this story TOO TOO long. Because, let's face it, I'VE GROWN LAZY OVER THE YEARS. _:D

-Cookie-


	4. Four

**.Four.**

It had all happened so fast; the boy stood up, anger and pain passing over his body in waves, even so much as smacking her in the face with his intense emotions. Onigumo had stuck his hand in his cloak, and as if in slow motion, pulled something coiled up out of a deep pocket within it, and it unraveled as he snapped it into the air. "Ah! The great beast needs to be subdued, does he?" His voice rang out in a shrill of malevolent excitement, and in a quick movement, Kagome was out of her chair.

The whip cracked once into the air again, and her legs were working on overtime getting her out of her place and running toward the stage in horror. "No, please!"

"Insolent dog!"

The sickening sound of the deadly coil slicing through flesh made Kagome scream, and before she knew it, she had run up the stairs of the stage and was running toward Onigumo. A terrible, pained noise escaped the boy and he hunched over, though that only seemed to make him tense up and yip quietly in pain. Anger rose inside her, an anger she wasn't sure she'd ever possessed before now, and before she could stop herself she had thrown her shoulder into Onigumo's back, sending him forward onto the concrete floor.

And everything was _quiet._

_What did I just do? What did… what has __he__ done? He __whipped__ this boy! That… that…_

"You stupid girl!" Onigumo barked, already on his feet as if he'd never been knocked down at all. "How _dare_ you!"

_Th-thump!_

Suddenly, the dark-haired man had turned on her, towering over her, teeth bared in a dangerous snarl. Kagome shivered a little, adrenaline boiling her blood, but she couldn't will herself to stand from her hands-and-knees position.

_Th-thump!_

There was nothing good about the look in his eyes, Kagome _knew_ this. He seemed to be plotting what to do next, keeping his anger in check so as not to lash out. She quickly looked to the whip, wondering if he were cruel enough to… oh my god, he was _raising_ the whip!

"Reckless fool!"

_Th-thump!_

The strain of metal echoed on the stage, and brown eyes looked to the side where the boy was suddenly back on his feet, pain forgotten, trying to get to Onigumo again. The whip raised, and wobbly legs got her to stand and take a step back, feeling still like jelly…

_Th-thump!_

**_Ting!_**

Kagome disappeared in a blur of red and white, before the whip could make another agonizing _slap_ against the concrete.

**-x-**

They were running… no, it felt more like flying, across rooftops, her arms slung around his neck to keep from falling as his hands held her behind her back and under her knees, providing the same comfort. She wasn't sure where they were going, but she figured it was as far away as possible from the park.

Something within her fizzled, causing her to shiver, and she looked up at the figure whose body she was so closely pressed against; she hadn't gotten the chance to really see his face – boyish, ragged, with amber-colored eyes and thick black eyebrows angled in a 'V' in between. His skin was a darker shade than hers, tanner than her fair complexion, and he felt much warmer than he looked.

Before she could dwell on his still-shirtless chest and her thin-material blouse, he stopped when they made it to the roof of her favorite supermarket, and he gently set her down on her bottom and crouched beside her.

For a second, he looked like he was going to thank her, and Kagome made motion to wave him off… before his face contorted in irritation.

"What the _hell_ did you think you were doing, stupid?!"

Blink. Blink, blink. Brown eyes blinked up at the boy, surprised momentarily before her own milder sense of irritation took over. "Ex_cuse_ me! That man was _whipping_ you! Hurting you, and putting you on display! What was I _supposed_ to do, idiot?"

The bickering went on, one more exasperated than angry, before the girl held her hands up in an act of defeat.

"…okay, whatever! If you _really_ want to go back, be my guest! Hmph!"

…she saw him collapse onto his backside, about to form a retort, before he winced at the stressed wound on his back.

Kagome hurriedly stopped in her pursuit to make him angry, and her brown eyes darkened in worry. "Oh, your back… I'm sorry. We should head back to my house and clean that…"

"No way in hell, girl," spat the boy.

"Funny, I didn't _ask._" Kagome shot back at the tail end of his argument. "It's either my house, or the hospital."

When he only groaned and rolled his eyes, she figured he'd relented. "_Thank _you."

"Whatever."

_Ugh! _The _nerve_ of this guy! She had done her best attempt at saving him and had managed to free him – somehow, she wasn't sure what part she played in that particular part – and now he was being so… infuriating! She narrowed her eyes at him, studying him, crossing her arms over her chest… before she deflated.

For some reason, she wasn't sure she had the capability to be mad right now. Not when she'd managed to _save_ this boy from a life of what could only be described as torture. Being chained there, whipped to subdue him, putting him on display and probably making him feel like some… some…

_Animal?_ Her mind supplied, but she inwardly gave herself a good shake.

"Um…" Kagome's soft voice was barely heard, being carried in the wind. Twin dog ears atop his head flicked toward the sound of her voice, already recognizing it, but he didn't look at her. Seeing the ears on his head turn in her direction, she smiled, reached a hand up… before letting it drop in her lap. "My name's Kagome Higurashi. And, it's not much, but unless you were planning on going back, I can put you in our shed for a few nights until you heal."

"Keh."

_Keh, he says! _With a huff, the girl crossed her arms over her chest, scowling back at him. She was offering to keep him under her roof – or, well, under her care – and all he could do was _scoff_ at her! A feeling of frustration swept through her, but before it could reach her eyes, she felt herself sadden; it must have been so hard, living like that, being chained up and whipped when he didn't behave. She couldn't imagine waking up every day knowing that some… some _jerk_ was getting ready to show him off like some sort of trophy. It made her heart twist.

"Stop lookin' at me like that."

"Sorry…"

A few seconds passed between them before Kagome even thought of standing up, but she hadn't premeditated that she wouldn't be stable on two angled sides of the roof, so as she placed her feet on each side she slipped. Arms flailing out, she tried to grab onto something, and that _something_ shook her off before shouting a cry of surprise.

She'd barely registered that she'd been grabbed by the wrist and pulled into a strong embrace, and before she could utter a muffled retort, they were bounding on rooftops again, two strong arms wrapped around her back and keeping her face against his shoulder.

Fair cheeks flushed, brown eyes widened, fingers reflexively wrapping around his narrow waist in an attempt to stay there.

_He might be incredibly frustratingly stubborn and __totally__ rude… but, he just saved me, so he can't be __all__ bad._

**-x-**

By the time she and the boy – he hadn't told her his name yet, so she wasn't sure what she was supposed to call him – got to her family's home, it was nighttime; dark, the moon their only light source when he let her hop off his back. Looking this way and that, Kagome watched his ears and nose take in the new surroundings, intrigue settling in her eyes as she walked to stand a step ahead of him. "This is my family's home. Where you're gonna be staying is in the back yard. Come on!"

She thought nothing of it and reached out to grab his hand, but he slapped it away, somehow taking care in the action rather than trying to hurt her. "Don't touch me."

She probably should have been severely hurt by the action, but she pulled her hand back and nodded, a small smile in place on her lips. "Sorry, right. Anyway, it's in the back." Leading the way, she waved a hand over her shoulder for him to follow, treading carefully across the front yard and to the gate separating the front yard and the back yard. She felt very much like some sort of spy, and to pretend as such, she leaned against the wall and hummed spy music.

Amber eyes rolled before he simply jumped over the fence, making Kagome pout.

"Aw, I was having fun!"

"Keh."

Feeling dejected, she walked ahead of him again once she got the gate open and closed it securely again, running across the back yard and looking wildly at the direction of the house; it wasn't nearly late enough for her family to be in bed, but the fact that no lights were on meant they probably were enjoying a movie in the living room. With a sigh, Kagome looked longingly at the back door before remembering her 'mission' and stopping in front of the small barn-like shed in the corner of the yard.

"We just moved some of my dad's old junk into storage, so it's a much more open space now- you could stay in here as long as you like. I can even fish out a futon for you and some extra blankets."

When he made no move to answer, the brown-eyed girl sighed. "You never told me what your name was. Can I at least know that much?"

A chilly breeze blew her hair into her face and she made a few spitting noises to show just how much that disgruntled her. A snort of a laugh was his response to that, and she moved her hair from her eyes to fix him with a light look. "He laughs!"

"_He_ has a name," he said loftily before regarding her contemplatively. "Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha…" she tried it on her tongue, let it swim around her mind, burning it into her very soul so that she'd remember. Not that she'd ever forget such a brash boy. "It suits you."

At this, his triangular ears twitched and he raised an inquiring brow at her. "Does it?"

Nodding enthusiastically, Kagome lifted the board that kept the door shut and pushed the twin-doors open, taking a few experimental steps inside before she walked over to a shelf – the sides were nothing but shelves, with tools and pointless knick-knacks scattering the majority of them – and pulled down a medical kit. "Alright, so let's see to your back, shall we?"

* * *

><p><em>Nothin' to say this time - other than I will be posting sneak peeks starting NOW of the next chapter. After I upload new chapters I'll immediately go to my Tumblr (link in my profile) and post a teeny snippet. Yea or Nay? You tell me! <em>

_Thanks so much for reading this so far- it's new and starts a little slowly, but once sh-t goes DOWN I hope people might enjoy it more. Sorry!__  
><em>

-Cookie-

**PS **- _Reviews are welcomed. _:D


	5. Five

**.Five.**

_"__So let me get this straight,_" Sango's incredulous voice spoke over the phone, sounding more and more as if the girl she was speaking to was trying to yank her chain. _"You freed this… boy, and now he's living at your house __without__ your mother's permission."_

Kagome nibbled on her bottom lip, trying to keep from laughing. "Uh… uh huh. I couldn't let him go back, Sango! He's got deep wounds on his back, and he looks so worn and ragged… and he hasn't once mentioned going back."

A small smile graced her face and she walked to the window in her room leading to the backyard, placing her hand over where the shed stood; Inuyasha, the stubborn, rude, but somehow not entirely unpleasant half-demon had been staying with her for almost a week already, and somehow, he hadn't been discovered yet. But then again, the only one who had been in that shed since her father's death was herself, and now Inuyasha.

Sango said something on the other side, but the black-haired girl didn't hear her.

_"__Kagome!"_

"Nn, what? Sorry, Sango. What did you say?"

A drawn out sigh was heard, and Kagome pursed her lips. _"How long did you plan on letting him stay? You know your brother can't keep a secret, if he somehow finds him. The one I'm more worried about is your Grandpa."_

"I know." Kagome sighed before walking back over to her bed. "I'll let mom know eventually. I don't want to keep him a secret forever. Maybe I'll see how long he can last with a sleeping bag and cold leftovers."

_"__You're terrible!" _Sango laughed, which made the brown-eyed girl laugh too. It definitely was a good sign that she wasn't trying to nag or lecture her. _"Just be careful, Kagome. You don't know really anything about him, and not everyone you meet is friendly. Just be cautious."_

The girl in question nodded, even if she knew her friend couldn't see it. With a hum of approval, she peeked at her alarm clock. "Well, it's time for me to go check on him. Hey, you want to come over on your next day off and meet him? I figure if you're the only other one who knows, you should at least see him once."

A contemplative noise escaped the girl on the other side of the line. _"I suppose so. You should probably check with him though. You might know how he is with you, but not how he does with other people." _

A warm feeling spread through her in that moment; he didn't regard her as coldly anymore, and had actually started to call her by something other than 'Hey' or 'You'. Inwardly, she wondered if he was slowly letting his guard down in front of her. "That makes sense. I'll run it by him, and I'll check the schedules tomorrow when I come in. Bye, Sango!"

Hanging up on the call and stuffing her cell phone into her jeans pocket, Kagome ran out the door of her bedroom.

**-x-**

In a flash of black and green, Kagome ran into the shed and shut the door quite loudly, making the silver blob in the back jump and send her a glare of _epic_ malevolent promise. A look of concern washed over her features, pinked with exertion to make it out the door before her family questioned her. "I'm sorry… were you asleep?" _Even though it's four in the afternoon…_

Amber eyes, cloudy with sleep, drooped before his body settled back against the ground. He seemed to think nothing of her sudden intrusion and fell back to sleep a moment after. This left the ebony-haired girl to her thoughts, which in hindsight, might not have been the best of ideas.

_I wonder how much he actually slept while he was with that Onigumo person. Did he even at all? Was he kept in that cage all the time? I can't __believe__ people are into that sort of thing, looking at other people's imperfections and finding enjoyment out of being cruel to them or just gawking at them! He's a person too—or, well, half a person. I don't know how this whole half-demon thing works…_

Before she'd realized it, she had tiptoed over to where he was sleeping and had sat down with him, her back leaning against his slumped form facing away from her. She felt his body tense up, but when she sighed, he relaxed. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha turned around to fix her with a confused, sleepy look.

Kagome bowed her head but didn't answer right away. When she finally gained the courage to speak, she angled her body to look at him better. "For when… when Yuka pulled your ears. I'm sorry. It didn't hurt too much, did it?"

Instead of answering her, he let out a little hum of contemplation before he curled around to lie facing her, head curled almost in her lap. "I'm used to it."

"What?"

Having appeared to say the wrong thing, he narrowed his barely-open eyes and sighed through his nose. "I've been that douchebag's little attraction since I was a kid. Everyone pulled at my ears, wondering if they were real or costume or whatever. Don't worry about it."

"I _will_ worry about it," she chided gently, looking at him at his place almost curled around her body. "It might be in the past, but I'm not going to let people do that to you anymore." _I saw the way your face wrinkled up in pain… I don't want to see that again._

Honey eyes looked up at her, the sleep having been chased away by sheer shock at her determined protectiveness. Her scent gave way to no trickery – floral, with a nip of spice underneath – and her face looked genuinely concerned with his well-being. Never had Inuyasha known a person to treat him like this. A long time ago, his mother had, but he'd been without her for so long he'd forgotten what it felt like.

"Why do you care so much?" his voice was so low he thought he'd said it in his mind like he'd intended. However, when she shot him a look that read 'How could you even ask that?' he growled, knowing he'd said it out loud. "Forget it. It doesn't matter – can I sleep now?"

Kagome didn't push him, and instead placed a hand on his head and gave him a little pat. "Sure. Oh, Inuyasha? Sorry, just one more thing." He tried to be mad about being woken up again, but it didn't come out as a growl so much as a hum of discomfort. Breathing a sigh, she kept her hand on the top of his head. "My friend from work wants to come over and meet you – is that okay? She's the only person I trust with our secret and I think she'll totally like you."

Yawning, Inuyasha dug his forehead against her leg. "I don' care. As long as you're there too." _Damn it. I wasn't supposed to say that out loud, either!_

Kagome didn't catch his slip, or if she had, she didn't say anything. "Right."

He fell into a light slumber, ears swiveling about to listen to the dulled surroundings outside the shed, her hand warm against his head. Brown eyes watched him, curious and relieved he'd managed to sleep a little; the first few nights he'd stayed here and she came to check on him, he hadn't so much as lay down. But the more she visited with food and words of kindness, the more he loosened his cautious posture and had actually managed to become comfortable with her presence (enough not to try and bite off her head, at least).

In all seriousness, the girl didn't want to get up and leave him like this. As far as she knew, this was the closest thing to real sleep he'd probably had in a long time, but it was nearly supper time. "Inu…" she started to say his name softly, gently, but he didn't so much as twitch. One of his ears swiveled to the sound of her voice though, but otherwise he didn't stir. "I… I'll have to go soon, will you be alright?"

_Don't leave me_, something spoke in her mind, and she wondered if she was imagining it'd be what he'd say. Shaking her head, she lifted her hand and poked at his cheek, surprised at how soft and warm it was. Wrinkling his face, he turned away from her, and she reached over to give him another pat on the head.

"I'll bring you what's left over in a few hours. Sleep well, Inuyasha."

* * *

><p><em>I was supposed to upload this chapter last week. Whoops? Before I'd known it, I'd been caught up in RL stuff and I completely forgot. But here it is! <em>

_(Of course, this means Chapter 6 will be coming sooner than usual, so I get back on track. I'd say... Tuesday, 04 Nov or Wednesday, 05 Nov. Sound good?)_

_Some people were confused about something last chapter, and I'd like to clear it up: When Inuyasha had super-strength for a brief moment, I was sort of paying tribute to Kagome's call for help in Episode 1 of the anime and suddenly, Inuyasha's body is pulsing and he wakes up. In an unknown desire to save this person who had tried to stop the person hurting him, our half demon got a flush of energy and broke free of his shackles to save her. Make sense? _

_Until next time!_

~Cookie


	6. Six

**.Six.**

With a spiteful look, Kagome glared at the small calendar sitting on her desk, the circled date staring back at her like a curse; it was the last week before the new semester would pick up again, and she wasn't exactly sure what it was she was supposed to do about the new path her life had taken.

_Cripes, I totally forgot about school! _

Usually, her schedule where school was involved was rather mechanical; she woke up early and went to school, and after that she went to work for a few hours, and after that she came back home to finish homework and pass out at her desk. But she'd have to totally work around all of these things _and_ take care of a half demon. Not that he really needed to be taken care of like a child, but she rather liked it, if truth be told.

_And how am I gonna tell Inuyasha. Oh, man, I should just tell Mom before it gets out of hand._

"No," she muttered to herself. "No, not yet. I need to know more about him before I allow him to possibly stay inside the house. I've got to know him like I know Yuka or Sango."

Nodding to herself, the ebony-haired girl looked around her bedroom before looking the window leading to the large front yard. The bright morning sun was filtering through thin blinds, cascading her carpeted floor in a striped effect, and she stretched her arms over her head with a loud yawn.

"Kagome, dear, are you ready to go?"

Jolted out of her thoughts mid-yawn, the girl in question jumped and whirled around to look at her mother in the doorway. "Go? Where are we going?"

Her mother laughed softly, pressing her palm to her cheek. "We have to get you new clothes for school – did you forget?"

"Aw, no! I did!"

Mrs. Higurashi crossed her hands in front of her in silent patience. "Do you want me to just go? Sota isn't ready either – I think he might have stayed up late with those video games of his."

Kagome shook her head, fingers spread, palms waving in front of her face. "No! I'll go! Just give me a minute to get dressed?"

"Okay, dear. Oh and do me a favor? When you come out, go out the back door so you can lock the gate? I think Sota's been forgetting to lock it lately."

And with that, her mother was out the door, leaving a deflated Kagome in her wake.

**-x-**

"Are you going to be okay while I'm out?"

A pointy nose wrinkled, and Inuyasha snorted indignantly. "Keh! As if I wouldn't be. I've been alone before."

"Yeah, but…" _I really haven't let you be for more than a couple of hours. Maybe __I'm__ the one who isn't okay with leaving you alone._

Amber eyes narrowed at her indecision and he managed a sigh. "Look, I'll be fine. You deserve some time away from _me_." The self-depreciating way he referred to himself made Kagome suddenly want to stay. Noticing the conflict suddenly give way to defeat, however, he stood up and all but pushed her out of the shed he'd called 'home' for more than a week.

A soft look appeared in her chocolate eyes. "If you're sure… do you want me to pick something up for you?"

"Keh. Don't bother."

Her thin black brows angled in a V, frustrated but didn't otherwise argue. Reaching up to pat his head softly, she made her leave.

_She's so weird. Yet… _he turned his back to the door, arms crossed over his chest. _Yet she doesn't cease to surprise me sometimes. _

**-x-**

"Kagome! What a surprise!"

At the sound of her name, the sixteen-year-old turned and saw no other than Miroku waving at her, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail and sporting a young woman under his arm. A small wave was her retort to him and, holding onto a couple of shirts over her arm, she ran to the entrance of the store – just one in the mall where her mother had brought her. "Miroku! Yeah, I don't see you much outside of work. What are you doing here?"

Gesturing with a half-grin at the woman, who managed to finish his grin with a perverse glint in her dark eyes, he said, "Oh, just enjoying the company of a pretty woman. Now, two pretty women."

Brown eyes narrowed and she had the urge to smack him. But that right was often granted to Sango.

"Pervert."

"What'd I say?"

Kagome heaved a sigh, not quite in defeat, but more so dropping the issue. "When you're done with your … 'date'," she said the term loosely, knowing that he had no intention of going steady with the woman, "Can I talk to you a sec? I'm… uh, kind of in a bind and could use some advice."

Miroku furrowed his brow, concern trickling into his otherwise content violet eyes. "Certainly. Do you work tonight?"

Nodding, the ebony-haired girl answered, "Yeah, at two until seven."

"Perfect! What do you say I stop by on your lunch break and you and I can discuss whatever ails you?"

Echoing his previous retort, Kagome clapped her hands. "Perfect! See you then!"

As she watched Miroku and the woman's retreating forms, she sighed to herself before busying her person with looking at a nice red jacket nearby. _Maybe… I'll have to bring Inuyasha shopping one of these days. All he's got are those baggy pants to wear. _Checking the price tag, she paled. _Better yet…_

"Can I help you find something?"

_I know that voice… _turning her face upward a little to greet the employee, she felt her eyes widen a little. "H-Hojo? I didn't know you worked here!"

Standing to the side of her in a form-fitting blue t-shirt and black pants was Hojo, chocolate-brown hair styled in a rather shaggy manner yet not entirely unpleasant to look at – was it as soft as it looked? – and dark brown eyes smiled back at her, only mirroring the bright smile on his face. "Oh, Kagome! Yeah, I started working here last summer, actually. It's easy money."

He proceeded to have a one-sided conversation with her as she let her eyes stray back to the red jacket; she wanted to know if Inuyasha would like it, if he'd accept it even, but the price tag was mocking her for even thinking he might like it. _Who am I kidding…_ she huffed and deflated, running her finger over the leathery fabric. _No doubt that Onigumo guy has already figured out that Inuyasha's not going back – who knows when he'll try to look for him? And, he knows what I look like, too…_

A shiver coursed down her spine, one of pure discomfort, before she quickly shot a panicked look around the store. Paranoia chased away by shyness, the ebony-haired girl spun around to fix Hojo with a look just as he finished speaking.

"Hojo, listen- can you stash this jacket somewhere? I want to buy it for… a friend of mine, but don't have the money right now."

"Kagome, I could get in serious trouble if I do that." His eyes looked over her carefully. The girl in question deflated again, making the boy's face contort in conflict. "But I can try to keep a secret eye on to it for as long as I can…"

_Well, it's better than nothing. _"Gee, thanks, Hojo! I owe you one!"

The boy's face lit up in a brilliant smile. "Why don't you just let me take you out to the movies and-"

But she already disappeared in the other direction, lost in a sea of teenagers as they too got the idea in their heads to do some last-minute shopping. With a drawn-out sigh, the lovesick Hojo went back to the cashier counter to ring up a customer. "Thank you for shopping! Here, let me take those hangers from you."

* * *

><p><em>I'm still behind a chapter - I'm sorry. I almost forgot about this one. Idk what's wrong with me, since I've finished up to Chapter Twenty-One, I guess I'm just SO NOT USED TO UPLOADING. Bear with me you guys. <em>

_Also I haven't been posting the sneak-peeks; again, I keep forgetting. I'm just not gonna do it unless you specifically ask me for one. Otherwise, you've gotta wait a week, approximately._

_See you next week, maybe? _(xD)

-Cookie-

**PS** - SO INUYASHA THE FINAL ACT IS GONNA BE ON TOONAMI SUNDAY MORNING AT 2AM! :'D HOORAAAY! I hope you guys are gonna watch it 'cause I'M GONNA WATCH IT - WOO!


	7. Seven

**.Seven.**

"Welcome to Mushin's Diner! Would you like a table or booth?"

Standing in her signature red apron with the stitched 'M' on her left breast, covering a nice pink blouse and a pair of bum jeans covering long, lean legs, Sango flashed her prettiest smile toward a small family of three, showing them to their desired seating place and handing out menus and reciting specials almost mechanically; it'd been almost a year since she'd started working here, primarily out of necessity, and even after all this time she couldn't stand the thought of leaving this place.

Nearly five months ago now, her family home had been burned down, which had killed her father and left her brother in a state of constant illness from the toxic fumes wreaking havoc with his already-weak constitution, suffering from bouts of dizziness or unconsciousness. His condition left him with hospital bills in abundance, and the girl had begun to work her butt off.

And for about three months, it had been enough … before Kohaku fell into a deep sleep-like state.

Now stuck living on her own in a run-down apartment complex, she literally went to three places: work, home, and the hospital. Occasionally, when she wasn't too tired from long shifts and over-enthusiastic smiles, she took online courses for college, wanting to join the medical field so as to help her brother more and more, but lately she just hadn't the time or energy to keep up with her classes.

His condition hadn't changed – it wasn't critical, he was in no real danger, but he'd shown no signs of waking, the only signs of life within him were occasional facial twitches and his rising and falling chest.

"So, can I start you folks off with drinks?"

During a time where she had no one, Kagome had been like a guardian angel. Sango could remember seeing her enter the diner, black hair pulled in two low braids over her shoulders, brown eyes wide and searching and glittering with not an ounce of hurt or sadness. In fact, the only thing that had rested in those impossibly-bright eyes was determination. _"Excuse me- my name is Kagome Higurashi, and I'd like a job!"_

The sound of that confounded bell rung overhead again, and pasted smile in place again, the young woman turned to flash a pretty smile. "Welcome to Mushin's Diner! Would you like a table or booth?"

**-x-**

Kagome moved the wetted rag over a table, flashing little nervous smiles in the direction of her best friend and coworker, brown eyes wide in concern and not even bothering to hide it. Something was feeling wrong lately, from the time a couple of weeks ago when she saw something dancing in Miroku's violet eyes that she hadn't quite been able to distinguish. _I can't help thinking that Inuyasha's not the only obstacle I'm going to have to face this semester… _

Earlier, Miroku had stopped by just as he'd promised, though not without his usual melodramatic entrance and managing to get himself a red handprint on his cheek courtesy of an irate Sango. There had been a lot of different things she could have asked him; at first, she had planned on telling him about Inuyasha, but she thought against it not even a second afterward, deciding that if anyone were to come after him, it'd be best to have as few people dragged into it as possible for fear of some grand phenomenon. (Besides, she was almost positive that she and Inuyasha could take Onigumo!)

If Kagome had asked, he'd keep her secret, though.

_"__Miroku…"_

_"__Is everything alright, Kagome?"_

_"__It's just… how do you get a guy to talk to you?"_

For some reason, such a question had done nothing but excite the young man four years her elder, and he had practically beamed at the question. It took a lot of reassuring that she didn't have an admirer, nor was she doing any admiring, and he had deflated only a little before turning solemn as she continued.

_"__I met this guy who had a really horrible past, and no matter what I say, I don't think I'm getting anywhere. I want to be there for him, show him that I won't do or say the things that … some other people have, but I don't know if I'm doing something wrong. He won't tell me anything!" _She'd apparently sounded terribly exasperated, because she had the full and almost concerned attention of Miroku. With a wave of her hands, she went on to ask, _"So, should I go about it a different way? Or should I let him talk to me? I want to know, I want to help him, but… he isn't exactly cooperative."_

_"__All men are different; if he's the shy type, he probably just needs to get more comfortable with you." _Nope, Inuyasha _definitely_ wasn't the shy time. Or, was he? Kagome pondered this, only half-listening to the rest of his answer. _"While I would highly doubt you'd fraternize with someone such as this, but if he's some sort of delinquent, I'd hope you're not offering yourself as a means of comfort—"_

_"__I-IT'S NOTHING LIKE THAT!"_

A _delinquent_? What did _he_ know? Sure, she wasn't about to just tell him that his rough attitude was nothing more than an act, nor was she about to belittle her friend's concern with a dismissive wave, because she had her own suspicions. But, from what she could tell, if there was anyone he wouldn't hurt, it was her. Somehow, she just got that vibe.

_After all, he had saved me, twice… ugh, what am I thinking? Back to work!_

Furiously swiping the rag across the table and giving it a fierce scowl – her scowls weren't nearly as effective as Inuyasha's, and she inwardly pouted – she considered giving a victorious shout before turning to see Sango just standing there, looking out the window, no longer with her in the diner but seeing times gone by.

_Sango…_

Tossing the rag onto her shoulder, the girl carefully walked forward and reached to pat her friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, Sango. It's gonna be okay."

In a distracted voice, the girl in question uttered, "Yeah…"

_She wants it to be. But, she doesn't believe it. _

An idea suddenly struck her and she clapped her hands, unknowingly snapping the daydreaming Sango out of her subconscious. "I know! Why don't you come over for a weekend? I can introduce you to Inuyasha _and_ we can spend some time together out of work. Whaddaya say?" _Hopefully I can help. Somehow. I've always liked her real smile._

Blinking dazedly, Sango grinned. "That sounds good. I was going to visit Kohaku soon anyway. Want to come?"

It was the first time she'd ever been asked, and she wasn't about to deny the chance to meet her friend's little brother. "Absolutely."

_Hang in there, Sango. Kagome to the rescue!_

**-x-**

The upside of working at a diner was that, sometimes, you had the opportunity to bring home some food. For someone who barely made it home in time to eat leftovers, it was a bit of a lifesaver for Kagome, who carried a carry-out box with half of a turkey club and sweet potato fries. (There had been another half of the club sandwich, but well, she'd eaten it already.)

With the food in her basket on her bicycle, the girl pedaled away from her place of work, content with the idea of bringing Inuyasha something besides chilled leftovers; he never seemed to complain – seriously, anyway, seeing as he practically lived to tease her and give her a hard time – about it, but perhaps tasting still-warm fries and a delicious sandwich would change his mind.

_I could probably get away with doing this once a week. He might like that._

The ride home was short, and she delighted in the way the setting sun made the sky explode in red and gold, casting shadows along the road. It was easy to get lost in the quiet, even if sometimes she liked a little chaos, but she couldn't complain. _The gold sort of reminds me of Inuyasha's eyes – hey wait a minute! _

It'd only been a couple of weeks since he'd started living – a loose term of 'living', actually – in her backyard shed, and he'd managed to wheedle himself into her thoughts at least a couple of times a day. It was easy to dismiss it, deeming it 'worry' that drove her subconscious into his direction. After all, he was alone – or, had been.

_What had his life been like? _She found herself thinking this a lot; from what she could tell, he was orphaned at a young age, or else he probably never would have been under Onigumo's care. _Does he know what kindness is? _Her heart lurched and she pedaled a little faster, seeing her street come into view but not her house, which was all the way down. _Had anyone ever cared?_

_"__I've been that douchebag's little attraction since I was a kid."_

_"__Don't worry about it."_

Tears welled up in her eyes, clouding her vision temporarily as she rounded the corner before she felt as if she was falling. And, when her knee came in contact with the curb, she realized she had been. "Ow… man…" As the tears sprang forth, she realized it wasn't because of her injury – in fact, only a little bead of blood appeared on it, and it wasn't hard to palm it and be done with it – but at what had caused her to fall.

_He had no one… since he was a kid. No one helped him. No one even tried… Oh, Inuyasha…_

Her foot was stuck under her bicycle, which had fallen at the loss of the one riding it, but she didn't care. The tears fell, loose like two waterfalls, and she covered her eyes with her arm, the tears soaking into her jacket. _No wonder he was so rude to me. But, Inuyasha… I'm not like that. _She stopped crying. Just stopped. The thought that crossed through her mind in that instant halted the hurt and the deep sadness she felt, quickly replacing it with a bright promise. "No one will hurt you… ever again."

"My, my. Aren't you a pretty little thing."

The voice was so cold, so deep, that she completely froze. Eyes wide and hidden in her arm, she shook a little on her spot on the sidewalk. She looked up slightly, peeking over her sleeve as she felt the bike being lifted. Her lower lip trembled, taking in the sight of a tall, tan male with dark hair pulled in a ponytail, piercing blue eyes, and a fierce smirk on his lips promising something Kagome wasn't quite sure she liked.

_Who is…_

Her voice wasn't coming, and she suddenly felt as if she was tied to something despite not even his hands on her. She gave an involuntary shudder before she willed her legs to stand, to move, to do _anything._

"So, you're the bitch-" _Uh, hello! Rude! _"-who knocked Onigumo down and escaped with that half-breed mutt."

_He… he looks familiar, but where…?_

When Kagome narrowed her eyes at him in the most threatening manner she could, the man tilted his head up, giving Kagome a healthy view of his sharp jawline and thin lips, and… wait, were those fangs? "I guess I can get right down to it, then."

_Where have I seen him before… is he part of Onigumo's elite 'freaks'? …ugh, I've got to think up something else to call them._

"My name is Koga. I've come to get Inuyasha back."

_No!_

The strength in her legs returned with the onslaught of adrenaline, and she took a step back. Barking a laugh, Koga regarded her with a false sense of warmth. All the girl felt was anger, with just a dash of terror; nothing looked good about this guy.

"Your reaction tells it all. I take it you won't hand him over?"

Before she could retort, he howled. _Howled_, like a wolf, and before she could remove her hands that had shot to cover her ears, two big men showed up on each side of her.

"You can either bring me to him and let me bring him back to Onigumo, or…" the men on her sides grabbed her arms, and despite her pulls and jerks, they didn't loosen. "…watch as I pillage every single house on this street until I find him."

* * *

><p><em>I bet all those Koga-lovers are ready to claw out my eyes. <em>:D

_He'll be a recurring character; he'll swoop in and out for a while. TBH, I never really liked Koga's character - and, before anyone dares to call me out on it, **no**, it's not because he got in the way of my InuKag ship. 'cause I don't hate Kikyo, so that argument's out the window. He just never caught my interest I guess. No big deal, y'know?_

_Anyway- what'ja think? _c: _Anyone bored of me yet?_

~Cookie


	8. Eight

**.Eight.**

"My name is Koga. I've come to get Inuyasha back."

_No!_

"Your reaction tells it all. I take it you won't hand him over?"

Before she could retort, he howled. _Howled_, like a wolf, and before she could remove her hands that had shot to cover her ears, two big men showed up on each side of her.

"You can either bring me to him and let me bring him back to Onigumo, or…" the men on her sides grabbed her arms, and despite her pulls and jerks, they didn't loosen. "…watch as I pillage every single house on this street until I find him."

A sharp gasp escaped Kagome, making her wiggle harder, faster, fueled now solely by _anger_. "Let me go! Let me at 'em! You leave him alone, you-!" _Oh, darn it, let me go, you buffoons! _

Koga's head fell back with another bark of laughter, blue eyes swimming with amusement. "You're a fiery wench, aren't you? I like my women with a little bit of spice- and you're damn fine, too." His hand reached out to stroke her cheek, eyes darkened to almost black, nothing but lust swimming in them and it made Kagome recoil. Her hands tightened into fists, wanting to punch him, but she wasn't nearly strong enough to take him out even if she weren't restrained.

_What do I do? From the looks of it, no one's home! –what a lousy time for not a single person on this darned street to be home! _

_Someone… HELP ME!_

**-x-**

Inuyasha blew at his bangs, arms crossed over his chest impatiently, looking out at the sunset as the last of the sunlight faded behind the thicket in Kagome's backyard through the lone window just tall enough for him to look out of from his tiptoes.

His triangular ears atop his head flicked and swiveled, listening for the faint sound of that stupid bicycle or the faint scent that was so unmistakably _Kagome_ that he sometimes had to just stop and inhale. _Somethin'… floral._ His inner-self said pointedly, walking over to the door and bending down to sniff under the doorway. _Not yet? The sun's almost all the way down. Damn, where the hell is she?_

…with his food. He wanted his food, and that was it!

Unfortunately, the door was locked from the outside, which probably made for the worst luck; it wasn't often that she was late, but on the nights when she was, he couldn't help but feel something twinge inside him – being acquainted with a half-demon like him wasn't exactly flattering, at least in the eyes of the few members of society that knew such beasts existed. What if she was kidnapped?

_Damn it._ All he was doing was worrying himself ragged over a human girl. How pathetic. The way his heart leaped for his throat and nearly choked him, you'd have thought he actually _cared_ about this girl. Keh.

He voiced his displeasure; leave it to him to fuck up his demon blood with human emotions like that.

The words yelled at him all his life plagued his mind.

_"__Freak!"_

_"__Animal!"_

_"__Half bred scum!"_

His ears flattened and a growl escaped his lips, rumbling in his chest, shaking his entire being with a rage he'd forgotten the past few weeks. This was why he was chained up. This was why he was caged, beaten bloody, scorned and hated.

But… Kagome didn't treat him like that. _Why? _

The thoughts were chased away when a voice called out in his head, filled with terror, making his ears perk up and suddenly catching the whiff of the scent he'd been trying to catch.

_Kagome! And she's… someone's __with__ her. This scent…_

And suddenly, his eyes went big, and without a moment's hesitation, he ran toward the door and slammed his body against it in an attempt to get out.

**-x-**

"Let go of me!"

Her pleas were as useless as they were before. But her rage had not since subsided in the quiet moments that had passed while she gathered her thoughts. _Okay. Okay. Think, Higurashi! If I could just get myself free, I can run home… but this Koga guy will tear these houses apart! Will he? He doesn't look like he'd be joking—oh, man!_

"Not a chance, little girl," one of the lackeys at her side purred in her ear.

"Better hurry and make yer' choice before Koga gets angry!" crooned the other.

The dark-haired man was in her face again, hand – man, he had _claws_ too! – hooked under her chin to force her to look at him. "What'll it be, sweet thing? Shall you hand over that mutt, or should I destroy the entire town and when I find him, drag him by the ears and-"

But he didn't get to finish. Not when Kagome tore her face away and, without a second thought, head-butted him as hard as she could.

_Oh, what the heck did I do that for?!_

"Agh!" Koga held his jaw, momentarily taken aback, before he raised the hand that had previously cupped her chin; Kagome saw the claws glint, and suddenly, she regretted her incredibly stupid decision. "Why you little bi-!"

"_Kagome!_"

_Inu…_

The two lackeys holding onto her arms loosened their hold on her and she pulled her arms out, using the last of her strength to punch under their chins as hard as she could – instantly regretting that decision too. Regardless, the two were so disoriented with having their jaws punched and possibly cracked that she was able to make a beeline out of harms' way as, in a blur of silver, Inuyasha stood where she had once been, his own claws digging into Koga's wrist as he stilled it in midair.

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to see much more, as an intense headache made her vision swim and darken, meeting the concrete for the second time that evening.

**-x-**

The first thing Kagome noticed upon waking was warmth, but following shortly thereafter was how impossibly _bright_ it was where she was.

_Where… where am I?_

Her eyes didn't listen to her and refused to open. _My head…_ she felt it throb, making her hiss, and she clutched at the sheets – sheets. She was at home- in her own bed?

_…__eh?!_

Impossibly slowly, her fingers twitched at her sides and she raised one hand to cover her eyes, willing them to open in perhaps a darker environment. _Come on… open your eyes, darn you!_

The last thing she could recall was being outside, and it was plainly obvious that she was back at home. How had she gotten here? Did Inuyasha bring her back?

Suddenly, the thought of him made her eyes shoot open and her hand shoot away from her face as she sat upright in an instant. Unfortunately, it wasn't a wise decision as she felt her head throb again and her vision turn to nothing but static. "Inu…" She buried her head in her hands, blocking out the light, closing her eyes tightly, letting out a whimper of pain.

"Kagome?"

_Mom…_

Her mother's careful fingers clasped her shoulders, gently rubbing over them as a means of comfort, but all it did was make the girl choke back a sob. "Kagome, dear… what…"

_Please stop, mom. My head… it… it feels like it's going to explode._

But she couldn't bring herself to say anything. Anything… but…

"Inu… Inuyasha…"

The ache dulled slightly after a few seconds of silence. Kagome's hands shook as she took them from her face, and blinking wearily, she fixed her mother wish a hard, worried look.

"Mom… where's the boy that brought me home?"

Her mother blinked twice, as if in slow motion. "The white-haired one? With the odd horns on his head?"

_Ears, mom. Focus._ "Yeah…"

Sad eyes looked to her daughter, brown boring into brown. "I'm sorry. He brought you inside and only said to tell you he was sorry, before he ran away. Who was that boy?"

_Ran… away…_

_Inuyasha… ran away?_

_No!_

Memories bombarded her, making her cry out, but while she wanted to crash back down on the bed, she shakily swung her legs off of the bed and onto the ground, wobbling as she met the hard, warm surface of her bedroom rug. "I have to… get him. Something… something's wrong. Gotta find him."

Before her mother could stop her, she walked around her. Walking turned to jogging. Jogging down the stairs, jogging to the door… before she ran. She ran, and didn't once heed the worried calls of "Kagome!" as she burst down the street, her heart pounding wildly as she did so.

_Oh, please let him be alright! Please! Inuyasha!_

* * *

><p><em>-I seriously meant to upload this last week, but with the holidays and going away for almost a week, I guess I forgot to or never found the time. My bad! Sorry for those who were worried (or impatient, 'cause I know you guys weren't worried,<em> ;D)

_Anyway, Chapter 9 is on the way too! Keep a look out!_

_Please review, I love hearing from you guys and receiving criticisms! _

-Cookie-

**PS; **_I don't remember what my sign-offs look like every time, so excuse the fact that it changes, omg._

~Cookie


	9. Nine

**.Nine.**

He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid!

Ever since he'd gone to stay with Kagome, he'd had the nagging suspicion that it would never in a million years work. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew that he'd never be able to stay; it would've been a matter of time before Onigumo sent others to go find him and bring him back, or worse, if _he_ had actually done it himself.

But Kagome had made him feel so… she didn't have very much strength, not compared to him, but she was stubborn and kind and smelled like a meadow and made him feel just… well, that part he wasn't so sure of, but he knew he definitely didn't feel horrible about her. In fact, he felt more than not-horrible.

_But you're worthless – garbage, scum of the earth. _A dark part of his heart called to him, gripping at him and shaking sense into him almost. _You've no right to let someone like her even breathe the same air as someone like you. You are a pathetic, worthless, disgusting creature. __**Half demon**__._

Keh.

The darkness around him seemed to swallow him up just as his thoughts were, nothing but stars illuminating his way back to the park where he knew someone was waiting to take him back to Onigumo, who had probably at this point packed up and headed out on the train toward a new destination. _That could only leave a handful of people that could be waiting for me there…_

The very thought made him grimace.

A street lamp flickered off as he walked under it, and it was one of those rare times that he thanked his heightened demon senses that he could still see. His eyes were shadowed by his bangs as he walked, clawed hands still balled into fists from his earlier excursion with the wolf demon, Koga, who happened to be one of Onigumo's weaker charges – but, he was full-demon, which gave him just a little bit more strength than he, a half demon. It hadn't been hard to punch him into a bloody pulp, nor was it that hard to slam his face into the nearest telephone pole after he realized just who exactly it had been he was harassing.

Kagome.

The girl who had saved his life, had done her best to take care of him, to nurse his wounds even if they healed hours later. Kindness, patience, compassion and all aimed at _him_. How could he not feel the need to protect her?

…plus! She was a weak human, it wasn't like she'd have been able to hold her own in a fight against Koga.

_Though… she did do a bit of damage to him already. What a hardhead._

A touch of calm blanketed over his form at the thought, and he ran across the street, seeing the park come into view. Taking a cautious whiff, he concluded there weren't any familiar smells – that meant that Onigumo had picked up and left; leaving only Koga and his two other lackeys to bring him back. _Like that mangy pest could make me do anything._ "Keh."

There wasn't anyone in the large, green park – and it looked bigger, what without all of the concession stands and people crowding the pavement trying to look at the freaks the asshole had on display. Inuyasha looked to the left, the right, enjoying the quiet and the dark, before he stepped onto the grass. It had been a _long_ time since he'd felt grass, had the freedom to walk on it – of course, not counting when he walked the few steps into Kagome's backyard to get to her shed – and now that he could, it was a calming feeling.

He took another sniff – the grass was a little wet, and had been mowed recently, leaving a sweet nature smell behind. Honey eyes scanned the ground, then the surrounding buildings, then the road… and finally to a large tree in the distance. _Looks like I found my bed for the night._

**-x-**

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha, please, where are you!"

Frantic eyes swept the streets, the worried tears blurring her vision, burning the corners of her eyes as she did her best to stave them back. _I've got to find him – it's not like he knows Tokyo very well. _

The thought made her run faster.

_My… my head still hurts,_ thought the dark-haired girl who slowed her pace as she reached the diner where she worked. _Too bad it's not open – I could go for tea. _A sigh escaped her as she slowed to stare inside, but remembered in an instant what it was she had set out to do, and sprinted back down town.

"He… can't have… gotten… far!" Or, at least she hoped not; she wasn't exactly clear about demonic heritage and traits – she was pretty sure his being half-demon gave him advantages, and those adorable _ears_ – but she'd have to have guessed if he wanted to make himself scarce, he'd probably had enough practice doing it. _Inuyasha... please. Be alright._

Her feet carried her to the park before she'd had much time to tell them where to go, and she paused to lean forward to catch her breath, hands braced on her knees to keep herself from falling down in a crumpled heap of gasping girl. With a rapidly beating heart and stabilized breath, Kagome stepped into the park, looking around desperately, silently wondering if she should bother calling out to him. _He'd probably smell me coming, anyhow. That's actually a little weird, but…_ Making a face, she pulled a strand of hair behind her ear as the night air reminded her just how much cooler it was. _Man. Why did I just run out here, anyhow? _

That earned her a shake of her head, and a real pain-in-the-neck headache.

She'd almost forgotten about head-butting Koga and the small lump it earned her.

A soft breeze blew her hair out of her face, cooling down her flushed-from-excursion cheeks, and she closed her eyes to suck in a breath; so many thoughts ran through her mind in that instant, making her heart beat hard and loud within her ribcage, constricting, before shooting up into her windpipe and ultimately choking her.

Before she'd realized it, she was running again, worried and a little scared, but intent on finding the boy she'd grown accustomed to seeing every day for two weeks, smiled at, patted on the head, bickering with… anguish squeezed her and she found herself running straight into the thick base of a tree, holding onto it with a tight grip as she gasped and shook. The large tree knocked the air out of her for a few moments, and it seemed as if she'd never get her breath back as the floodgates opened and tears dripped down her face in ribbons.

_Stupid Inuyasha!_ Her knees gave out and she crumpled, sitting against the tree and pulling her legs up to her chest to wrap her arms around her knees. _You stupid, stubborn jerk! _Two weeks was _hardly_ enough time to get to know him, and yet, it seemed like she'd already known him for a great portion of her life. _There you go, saving my life from… from that __man__, and you bring me home and then __leave__!_ Her silent crying turned into whimpers and little sobs, and she curled in on herself to retain her natural body heat. _You were probably going to go back, weren't you? To that heartless maniac, instead of staying with me! _

Her heart lurched. _He… wasn't going to stay… with me._

"Why?" her voice was soft, cracked under her emotional state, "Why did you leave me… Inuyasha?"

A gust of air blew her bangs away from her face, and a warm hand pressed against her hair, and the breath whooshed from her lungs as she recognized the rough, yet at the same time, gentle touch.

"I didn't go anywhere."

* * *

><p><em>Yo, real life is a pain when you tell people you have every intention of being way more active. Sooooo, my bad. <em>

_I don't have much else to say, except I'm sort of frozen at the point I'm at in the story - don't worry, I'm past Chapter 20, but ... well, I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't get into it. But something major happens, and Inuyasha gets mad, and Kagome ... well, there ya go. Spoiler! (Justkidding.) _

_Also, in other non-Inuyasha-related news, I have a bit of my FMA1 muse back, so I'm just going to tap something out and maybe get something uploaded for **Return to Shamballa**. Hopefully by the end of the year. It's almost the, what, two year anniversary of both that story and **Eternal Bond**? Only one of them is finished, too, heeeeeey. (And I got a favorite for EB, so thanks to that! I know I keep promising a sequel, and I have written some of it, but with this story and RtS and life keeping me as busy as it is, I don't want to make any more promises I can't keep. I'll DEFINITELY finish this story or RtS before uploading something brand new.)_

_That was long and boring, sorry. Back to your regular programming! Please review, lemme know what you think, what you like and don't, whatever! I can take it!_

-Cookie-


	10. Ten -- DOUBLE DIGITS YAY!

**.Ten.**

"You understand there's no going back." A voice, strained, unsure.

"I know." A second voice, the opposite; nothing but firm decisiveness.

"He's never going to stop."

"Neither will I."

A soft look appears in Inuyasha's honey eyes, and he is glad she's tucked her face into his neck so she can't see. "Keh. Of course you won't, stubborn girl." That earned him a squeeze of her arms, which were wrapped around his neck, and he faked a choked sound. She only giggled and mumbled how he was so dramatic. "And what will you do when he sends someone stronger than that Koga bastard to come get me? You can't head-butt _e__veryone_."

"Mm," her voice is sleepy, from bypassing both her body's and heart's limits. "I'll… I'll take classes. My frien' Sango takes martial arts – she can teach me how t' fight back."

_Like hell you'll do any fighting_. Inuyasha thought stubbornly, but he sighed through his nose instead of saying as much to her. "Whatever you say."

The walk back to Kagome's house had been silent after that, with Kagome falling into a deep, calm sleep and Inuyasha listening as best he could to everything around him _except_ her calm heartbeat and soft breathing against his neck. Which, if truth be told, was a _lot_ harder to do than it seemed.

The night's turn of events had gone off within the span of mere hours; Koga and his two comrades had cornered Kagome, he came to her rescue and got in a pretty heated hand-to-hand fight which resulted in Koga being a lot worse off than he was – his bruises had already faded away, and he'd long-since forgotten about his dark knuckles that had collided with Koga's face – and finally, when she ran right to the tree he'd been sitting in, deep in thought, he'd heard her crying.

_"__Why did you leave me… Inuyasha?"_

He flinched when he remembered seeing the tears streaming down her face, and he silently vowed to _never_ make her cry again. Or, well, try, because he couldn't promise what stupid thing he might do next time she got hurt.

Seeing the familiar road where Kagome lived, the silver-haired youth sighed in relief. "Hey, wake up. We're almost there."

When the ebony-haired girl made no move or noise indicating she'd heard him, he paused and shook his shoulders a little. "You know your mom will throw a fit if she sees you like this." Tear-stained cheeks, arms around his neck, disheveled hair and clothing, his arms wrapped behind her shoulders and under her knees. A loud, theatrical sigh escaped him and he saw her house at the end of the street. "Hey." He tried again, this time jostling her a little, and she moaned in reply. "I _said_, wake up."

Tired eyes looked up at him then in a half-glare, and she yawned. "I'm sleepy, and… my head hurts." Her voice was a little higher, a product of just how tired she was, and he winced and flattened his ears back in concern. "You're staying this time, right?"

Indifferent honey eyes looked down at her. "Yeah, yeah. Though I'll probably sleep on the roof to be safe."

"I'm sure Mom will let you sleep on the sofa."

"I ain't takin' any chances. She already doesn't like me- she kept staring at me like I was foaming at the mouth or something."

Kagome giggled, causing Inuyasha to growl at her, but the vibration through his torso did nothing but soothe her.

Standing now in front of the door, Kagome reluctantly stood up, but braced against Inuyasha's stable body for balance. _I'm so dizzy… I almost feel sick… _she fought against the urge to clutch her head, instead opting for wrapping her arm through the half demon's, who managed to look at her a little warily. Sure she wouldn't fall over, the girl's fingers turned the knob and she led the boy in, not letting him go when three sets of eyes blinked up at her and she was suddenly swarmed again.

"Kagome!"

"Sis!"

"_Kagome_…"

The last was her mother's voice, a little upset that her daughter had just run out into the darkness, but she looked just as relieved as everyone else at the girl against the boy who brought her daughter home a second time. "Goodness, me… what were you thinking?" Her eyes roamed her daughter's body, and locked gazes with her before slowly looking into Inuyasha's amber eyes. "Thank you for bringing her home again." Instead of the wary look in her eyes, she gratefully smiled, making the half demon lean away in surprise.

"N-no problem."

Turning away from the surprised young man, Kagome's mother fixed her daughter with a milder version of her previous glare, lacking the appropriate amount of fury. "Dear, why don't you go lie down? I'd like to speak with this… Inuyasha, is it?"

All the boy could do was nod dumbly before he looked down at Kagome, who had started to doze against his arm again. It took a lot of willpower not to wake her as he did before, somehow knowing that it wouldn't bode well with the already-fretting mother. Instead, he watched her warily as she slowly leaned away, took a step… and started to tumble to the floor.

He didn't let her.

Cradling her against his chest once more in less than a second, he cast her mother a confused look. The mother pressed her fingers to her lips and laughed a little before pointing up the stairs. "Her room's up and all the way down the right hall. I'll be up in a minute with some tea."

Inuyasha barely waited for her to finish what she was saying as he went up the steps, two at a time, and veered to the right. _Damn it, Kagome, why do you have to be so—_he made it to the door, and already, he could smell her scent from the crack underneath. Maneuvering her so that he could open the door with his hand, he kicked the door open, only to be assaulted by the scent of wildflowers and just a hint of something spicy. The half demon had a lot of trouble getting inside, not used to such strong smells hitting him at once, before he walked her over to her bed and dropped her onto her blankets.

"You're a lot more trouble than I'd have guessed," Inuyasha teased before sitting beside her. Brown eyes, clouded with exhaustion, narrowed up at him before her hand sought his, but didn't quite let her fingers touch him. Instead, it felt more like a teasing brush, hardly anything. "I think your mom is gonna ask about me – what do I say?"

Kagome groaned, and when she tried to sit up, a larger, claw-tipped hand stopped her, firm but at the same time gentle. _Just like the first time he held onto me,_ she mused, before she huffed. "Just tell her the truth – I'll do my best to explain things to her if I can stay up long enough."

"Don't bother," he dismissed any argument with a glare, but it was light, nowhere near as heavy as it could be. "I can talk. Go to sleep, Kagome."

_It's the … first time he's said my name. Not counting when he fought Koga earlier. _

A touch of a smile graced her lips, but before he could question her, she let her eyes close, fingers twitching to get one more soft caress of his skin under her fingers.

**-x-**

That _couldn't_ have been a coincidence… right?

Twin dog ears flattened back as he heard her heart rate slow to that of a sleeping state, and once he was sure she wouldn't wake for a few hours, he got up, his fingers dragging along hers before he tore himself away and walked out. _Alright, calm down; all she did was touch me and now I'm __freaking out__. Cut the shit. _He glared back at her sleeping form, and before he could give it a second thought, he was out of her room with her door ajar so that he could hear her better.

On the way back downstairs, he was stopped by a young boy dressed in green pajamas, staring wide-mouthed up at him as if he had just saved a family from a fire. "What do you want?" Inuyasha asked crankily. The kid was all bright eyed; he somehow kept from fidgeting, but the discomfort on his face was more easily read and the kid backed up a bit.

"You saved my sis," the kid said, still bright eyed, and with a smile added to his face. "You're some sorta hero!"

_Hardly_, he remarked silently. He rolled his eyes.

"…all you're really missing is some sorta cool outfit, and…"

_I hardly call it heroic – a life for a life. She saved me… so…_

"…could make action figures! With cool phrases and…"

"Sota!"

The boy jumped in his gushing and looked down at his mother, who had a tray with a steaming cup of tea and some toast with jam. A soft smile appeared on her face as she watched Inuyasha's discomfort, and judging by the twinkle in her eyes, he could tell she'd been standing there for a few seconds longer than he'd realized. He gulped – Kagome's mother was definitely someone he needed to keep his eyes and ears trained on.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for bed? It's past your bedtime – I let you stay up and wait for your sister, now off to bed, young man."

_"__Now now, little man, it's past your bedtime!" _

Inuyasha blinked and turned his head away; what was he doing, remembering his mother now of all times?

The boy, Sota, turned around with a cheery 'Goodnight!' to both the woman at the bottom of the stairs and the half-dog demon on the third step downwards. The latter ignored him and instead turned back to look at the mother, whose eyes warmed, and it made him ball his hands into fists at his sides.

_What's she gotta look at me like that for? _

"Inuyasha … you and Kagome seem exhausted."

"She fell asleep already." The words tumbled out of his mouth before he gave them permission, and he blinked. "I should go – she's back, so…"

"Nonsense!" The mother had started walking up the steps as he spoke, and was standing now halfway up. _Is she some sort of ninja or something? _"You'll sleep in the guest bedroom tonight. Make sure you get plenty of rest, because when Kagome wakes up tomorrow, you both have a _lot_ of talking to do."

His ears flattened back, which made the woman glance at them curiously, before she walked past him.

Leaving a confused and rather star-struck Inuyasha standing on the staircase.

* * *

><p><em>I have made an error in not uploading when I said I would- I think I still owe you another chapter or two, plus next week's to make up for the week of Christmas, which I won't be here for. So what, two or three chapters? I'll upload them this week, promise. <em>

_So, we had a brief InuKag moment - how did you like it? There's gonna be more, and we know they'll only get better as the two grow closer. Hehe~_

_Hope you liked it- _

**PS;** I dun' goofed - I said that _**Eternal Bond**_ and **_Return to__ Shamballa_** were almost two, but uh, they're almost three. Whoops. Happy birthday to them on Christmas! :'D

_-'kay. Please review! And thanks to those that have this/me on their alerts and favorites! It means a lot that you guys love this so much! _-heart-

-Cookie-


	11. Eleven

**.Eleven.**

The sun rose entirely too early for Kagome, causing the darkness behind her eyelids to turn a mild red and then a bright yellow, making her wince and groan against the call of the morning that willed her to wake up. _It feels like I only slept a short while… but I know I slept longer than usual._ Squeezing her eyes shut, she rolled over to bury her face into her pillow, doing her best to escape the fate of having to wake up even if she _knew_ she couldn't stay in bed.

It had been two days since she'd had her run-in with Koga and Inuyasha had come to her rescue. He had run to the park, the only place he had ever been in Tokyo, and for some reason she had just known to run there. True, she hadn't expected to find him nestled in the branch of a tree, nor for him to jump down just when she was talking about him – to herself, _out loud_, and crying no less! – and allow her to throw herself into his embrace and cry herself exhausted. Musing to herself, he had resigned his fate to her, not that she was complaining.

He'd seemed to do just that anyway the moment he'd saved her from Onigumo.

Curling her body up into a ball, she moaned in discomfort; her headaches had stopped, though she wasn't sure how they'd be by the time school started in four days. _Man. It's gonna be terrible. Headaches galore. _

"Kagome? Are you awake?" the soft, soothing voice of her mother made her body uncurl and she flipped around to give the woman a sleepy look. "Good. Your breakfast was getting cold – if I hadn't come to get you, I'm afraid Inuyasha would have eaten it-"

"D-Did you say…?"

That had the girl sitting up in bed with a shocked expression, making the older woman laugh. "Inuyasha? Yes, I did. You'd better hurry, or he'll eat your…"

Her daughter was gone in a flash of black hair and pink pajamas, making the woman blink twice before emitting a terribly-amused laugh, before she turned back around to join the others gathered around the dining room table.

**-x-**

"Inu_yasha_!"

The boy in question – or rather, exclamation – turned around with a mouthful of toast only to be enveloped in a tight squeeze, nearly making him fall out of his chair sideways from the sheer impact of Kagome jumping to him to embrace him. He'd barely swallowed the part of his breakfast around the girl's tight grip, and managed to blink with wide amber eyes around the room before trying to push the girl away.

"Kagome, what the he—" he received a hint of a glare from the old man sitting across the table and backpedaled, "What the heck do you think you're doing?!"

Big brown eyes, no longer filled with sleep but replaced with surprise and glee, blinked at him, giving him another tight squeeze and making him squelch out a 'Lemme go!'. Of course, the girl did no such thing. "I'm so glad to see you! I mean, I'm surprised – and what's this about stealing my breakfast, you big jerk!" Her happy tone was gone, as was the excited little twinkle in her eye, when her hand smacked itself on his forehead in reprimand.

Of course, the boy had no idea how to respond and leaned away from her, realizing now just how close her face actually was to him.

Kagome paid no mind, and rather than continue her irritated behavior, she let out another laugh and wrapped her arms once again around his neck, though this time not quite so tight. "I was afraid you were gonna leave again- I'm so glad you didn't."

"Y-Yeah. Well, you know…"

"I asked him to stay with us."

The four – Sota, Grandpa, Inuyasha and Kagome – heads swung to meet a very amused Mrs. Higurashi standing in the doorway, to which Kagome hastily untangled her arms from around the silver-haired young man's neck, standing now completely tense. "You what? Inuyasha's going to stay?"

Mrs. Higurashi came back in and took her seat next to her father-in-law. "I talked it through with Inuyasha yesterday, while you slept," immediately, Kagome began to panic, but her mother paid her no mind as she took a sip from her tea.

_How long did I __sleep__? Did Mom have to call me out of work? Oh gods, she didn't tell them I was attacked, did she? Mom…!_

"—if what he says is true, that someone is indeed coming after him, then it is not safe for him to just be out and about by himself. He's safer here than he is anywhere else. Besides, he's already been sleeping in the shed for about two weeks," Kagome winced as her mother suddenly took on a slightly-harsher tone, giving the girl and then the boy a scolding look. "And I have no complaints from here on out. I wish you'd have told me sooner, though."

Avoiding the sad look in her mother's eyes, Kagome looked down as she took a seat next to Inuyasha, whose ears had lowered atop his head. "I'm sorry, mom," the ebony-haired girl sighed, before giving her mother a rather subdued look. "With all that's been going on lately, and school starting soon, I guess I just couldn't find the right time. Thank you for letting him stay."

While mother and daughter seemed to share a sweet moment, Inuyasha winced before pushing himself away from the table; he shouldn't be allowed to stay, he knew that, but the woman had practically twisted his arm about it. Hands fisted at his sides, he stalked away from the table and disappeared around the corner. The only one who seemed to be affected by the sound of the back door slamming shut was Kagome.

"Mom…"

The woman took a sip of her tea before giving her daughter a little smile. "I'll pick up after breakfast, dear."

Kagome didn't wait a second later as she stalked after the half demon, worry marring her features. _I wonder what's gotten into __him__? No doubt this has all made him uncomfortable, or maybe he doesn't actually want to stay. _The thought made her practically slam herself into a hard, warm back.

"Inu…"

And then, in a flash of silver, he practically jumped inside the shed and slammed the door shut.

_Inu…yasha?_

**-x-**

"Thanks so much for inviting me out, Sango," Kagome's voice chirped into the afternoon air, stretching her arms out to accommodate the summer sun across her bared shoulders and arms; her form was wrapped in a form-fitting yet not unflattering light green sundress, a pair of white tennis shoes donning her feet. "It seems like ages since I've seen you! Outside of work, that is."

The dark-brunette laughed lightly, wearing a light pink t-shirt and a pair of denim capris. Her sandals clapped against the paved sidewalk as the girls passed several shops, a couple of bags in each hand already. "It's no problem- besides, you said you'd come with me to see Kohaku, and I planned on going to the hospital before work. It won't be long."

The black-haired girl had no arguments, though decided to drag the girl one year older than her into a clothing store with a squeal of delight.

_It's been a few hours since Inuyasha disappeared on me. _As she stopped in front of a few unisex shirts, she picked up a couple, a red and a blue one. _Every time I tried to get him to come out of the shed, he'd nearly snap my head off. He even wanted no part in coming out with me today! I wonder what's gotten into him? _Not that she expected him to come, as he wasn't one for going anywhere even if it were to be just the two of them. _He's so weird – though, I guess I can see why he'd be against being out in public, with what went on before…_

Shaking herself, she dug around her messenger bag – it was honestly the only thing similar to a purse that she owned – for her wallet, then fished out the card her mother had given her to pick up a few things for Inuyasha.

_"__It seems the only thing he's got to his name are those baggy red pants of his – be a dear and pick up some clothes for him, okay? Don't worry, it's on me."_

With a sigh, Kagome walked over to where Sango was looking at a nice blouse. "Ooh, that looks nice – are you going to buy it? It'd look _so beautiful_ on you!"

The dark-brunette blushed, brown eyes looking over at the other girl with a look of surprise. "Actually, I wasn't looking to buy it. At least not today. I haven't got a reason to own anything so beautiful, you know?"

Sango's indifferent look made Kagome blink before she grabbed the pink blouse and practically shoved it into the girl's arms. "Nonsense! I'll bet your brother would think you'd look beautiful in it!"

For some reason, that made the other girl smile before nodding. "Alright, alright, already. You win."

_Score! Kagome- 1, Sango- 0._

* * *

><p><em>Ayyy. Did you all enjoy your holiday season? Or, if you didn't celebrate Christmas or whatever, did you miss me? <em>;D 

_As I've sort of been switching between this fandom and Fullmetal Alchemist ('03), I'm gonna try to work on this story and Return to Shamballa, which got an update today, Sunday Dec 28. _ouo _It's so exciiiiting! I'm doing it, I'm doing the fanfiction!_

:D

_Please review, or if you don't want to, I just hope you enjoyed. _c: _Thanks so much for reading and favoriting/alerting this! It means so much to me!_

-Cookie-


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